Question On new computer I want Windows 7 on SSD and Program Files on HDD--how do I proceed?

conceptualclari

Junior Member
Dec 22, 2014
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I'm setting up a new computer that will have a 250 GB Samsung EVO 850 SSD and two 1 TB Seagate Barracuda hard drives. I want the SSD to be the boot drive and have the Windows folder with the operating system (Windows 7 Professional 64 bit). I also want to have a few programs on the SSD: browsers, email, and VLC Player. I prefer to have a lot of software programs. (That's just me. I have my reasons; don't waste your time trying to talk me out of it.) I don't want to overcrowd the SSD. I want to keep the great majority of programs and of the application data folders on one of the Seagate drives. I guess you could say I basically want a big Program Files folder on a Seagate drive and a mini-Program Files folder on the SSD.

What's the proper way to proceed? Install the whole system drive package, with Program Files and user profiles/accounts as well as the actual OS (which I assume is synonymous with or subsumed in the Windows folder) on one of the HDDs, and then migrate just the Windows folder to the heretofore blank SSD and set the SSD as boot drive in the BIOS?

Or should I install Windows 7 to the SSD and then create parallel Program Files and application data folders on the Seagate hard drive? Or maybe move Program Files to the Seagate if possible, and just have my small number of programs on the SSD in their own folders there?
 

deustroop

Golden Member
Dec 12, 2010
1,916
354
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Disconnect all drives but the boot drive. Install windows there and ensure the OS works. Then connect the storage drives. When you install apps, you choose the drive and folder location of the install files.
You will not be creating parallel Program Files and application data folders. What you have are all windows files on C and the other app files wherever you choose to install them, C, D whatever
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,226
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Or should I install Windows 7 to the SSD and then create parallel Program Files and application data folders on the Seagate hard drive?
this.

Also, consider using StorMI (on AM4 platform, B450/X470 or newer chipsets), or RST/SRT (Intel platform), to allow installation of the OS to HDD, and use the SSD as a caching / tiering drive. Then you wouldn't need to manually split up your program files dir, and they would be automatically accelerated.

Oh, but you would need to run Windows 10. (Maybe not with SRT on Intel on a Win7 64-bit "period" system, like Haswell/Skylake.)
 

WilliamM2

Platinum Member
Jun 14, 2012
2,353
463
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Most new hardware will not have support for Windows 7. Not sure why you would want to install 7 when support ends in 5 months anyways.